Isles Of Scilly

Looking for some Great British adventure inspiration? You're in the right place. Here you'll get an independent, ad-free lowdown on Britain's top 50 adventure locations - the online yin to the paper yang of our Joyously Busy Great British Adventure Map.

Why Go To The Isles Of Scilly?

The Isles of Scilly have to be visited to be believed. Just some of the things you can do on the Scillies that you can't do anywhere else...

Reach Britain's south-western extremity but feel like you're in the Caribbean on this tropical-looking archipelago

Marvel open-jawed at the white sandy brilliance and azure waters of the many beaches

Enjoy a Scilly place name in a country of many silly place names

Want to find out more? Read on for great photos, articles, videos, top tips and other content to fire up your adventure appetite. Got a question? Ask away.

Tell Me More

A low-lying archipelago of 140 islands casually relaxing in the Atlantic, 28 miles from Land's End. Only 5 of the islands are inhabited - Bryher is the smallest and wildest, Tresco has the famous Abbey Gardens. All in all, a totally tropical ambience with its white sand beaches, palm trees, clear blue waters and a fun-sounding name. Get your timing right and at super-low tides it's possible to walk between some of the islands.

Yachts racing in the Scilly Isles, England (Anna Kepa/Shutterstock)

The essential journey in the Scillies is just getting there, really. Whichever way you approach, it's a spectacular sight but arriving by air does give that special viewpoint and accompanying sense of smugness.

The official promo...

Sure, this is a sponsored event but it does show off the scenery rather well...

Getting To The Isles Of Scilly, Maps & Guides

Getting there: Sleeper train from London to Penzance (9.5 hrs), followed by flight (0.5 hr) or ferry (3 hrs). Or fly from Newquay (0.5 hr) or Exeter (1 hr)

What Next?

Click here to see 49 other Great British adventure locations and tell us about your adventures, plans and suggestions for these pages.

Britain's Best Outdoorsy Bits... Mapped!

Liking what you see, but fancy keeping it old school with an actual paper map? Our Joyously Busy Great British Adventure Map features all of Britain's best outdoorsy bits (including the Top 50), plus some enjoyably random and vaguely useful stuff too. Available either as a 2-sided fold-out map or a framed wall map (office furniture and fake plants not included).